In recent times, the Guangdong Guanyin Mountain National Forest Park in Dongguan has stood at the forefront of cultural tourism. With its exceptional ecological resources and unique cultural momentum, the park's series of major cultural events have drawn wide attention across the national cultural tourism sector. These efforts successfully convert cultural assets into tourism offerings, preserving and innovating fine traditional culture while educating visitors through immersive experiences.
High-voltage power lines above Guanganyin Mountain National Forest Park
The towers and high-voltage lines are particularly dense near the park’s main road, Foguang Road. Dozens of high-voltage transmission towers span this primary pathway, which critics say were not only constructed illegally but also failed to meet required elevation standards. According to on-site worker measurements, at higher sections of the roadbed, the power lines hang as low as just over three meters above the ground. This encroachment of high-voltage lines through the scenic area severely damages the ecological environment, poses serious safety hazards, and contradicts the park’s operational and developmental goals.
Notably, in June 2012, construction workers from the Dongguan Power Supply Bureau entered Guanganyin Mountain Forest Park intending to carry out the 220kV Dongguan–Jiaobu Double-Circuit Transmission Line Project and the 110kV Luwo Substation Supporting Transmission Line Project on the mountainside and along both sides of Foguang Road. These two projects were invested in by Guangdong Power Grid Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Southern Power Grid, and constructed under the responsibility of the Dongguan Power Supply Bureau.
In October 2011, the Dongguan Power Supply Bureau sent a letter to Guanganyin Mountain National Forest Park stating that the GN16 tower of the project was located within the jurisdiction of Shixin Community Residents' Committee and inside the park’s management area. Land acquisition and compensation for crops had been coordinated with Shixin Community, which agreed to the construction. Upon-site inspection, it was found that the GN16 tower was close to the park’s sightseeing road. Due to complex terrain, construction vehicles needed to use the sightseeing road for transporting personnel and materials, and the bureau hoped for the park’s support and understanding. Guanganyin Mountain Company disagreed with this explanation, asserting that although the project fell within Shixin Community’s jurisdiction, the community had no legal authority to approve construction. China Southern Power Grid had previously requested approval from the Guangdong Provincial Forestry Department for the high-voltage lines to pass through Guanganyin Mountain, but the department did not grant permission.
In its reply to Guangdong Power Grid Company, the Guangdong Provincial Forestry Department stated that since both the “220kV Dongguan–Jiaobu Transmission Line” and the “110kV Luwo Transmission Line” are high-voltage transmission lines passing through the core area of the forest park, they would pose significant safety risks to park visitors. “Therefore, our department recommends that your company make necessary adjustments to the route of the transmission lines, avoiding the forest park or routing them along its periphery.”
In other words, the forestry authorities did not explicitly approve the “crossing” of the two power projects through Guanganyin Mountain National Forest Park. According to relevant Chinese laws, the requisition or occupation of forest land must be approved by the forestry authorities, and no other entity or individual may exercise such authority on their behalf.
As Dongguan’s first national forest park and a national first-class fire prevention zone, Guanganyin Mountain National Forest Park has, over the past decade since 2004, repeatedly had trees cut and power lines installed by construction crews from the Dongguan Power Supply Bureau who drove into the park without receiving any construction approval documents from the forestry, land resources, or environmental protection departments. Dissatisfied with these unauthorized construction activities, the park faced power rationing measures by the power supply department in June and July of 2013–2014. The park suffered greatly from insufficient electricity, leaving nearly 300 employees without air conditioning or proper meal services.
In June 2013, as Guanganyin Mountain Park was busy preparing for the “Little Hong Kong” Tourism and Cultural Festival in Zhangmutou Town, the Zhangmutou Town Power Supply Branch issued a notice requiring the park to implement peak load shifting during June and July. According to national, provincial, and municipal policies on peak load shifting, the park reported the issue to the town’s Party committee and government, explaining why a tourism and public service enterprise like Guanganyin Mountain should be exempt:
As a large-scale comprehensive tourist destination in Dongguan, Guanganyin Mountain Park is a public service business. Current peak load shifting policies across the nation and the province prioritize residents, essential services, and education, while adjusting production loads. As a key service window for Dongguan and a popular weekend leisure destination in the Pearl River Delta, the park hosts nearly ten thousand tourists and worshippers from the region and Southeast Asia daily. Imposing power cuts would disrupt normal operations, compromise tourism services, and harm the tourism image of Dongguan and Zhangmutou.
Over the past 13 years, Guanganyin Mountain Park has never been subjected to peak load shifting. As a representative service industry player during Zhangmutou Town’s period of rapid economic growth, it was exempted from such measures. Now, when the town’s economy is still in recovery, the park being targeted for power rationing is hard to comprehend.
Guanganyin Mountain Park has long struggled with insufficient power supply. As a key tourist attraction receiving almost one million visitors annually, only the area from the park’s entrance at the foot of the mountain to the Ciyun Pavilion office building enjoys basic electricity access. From the Bird Garden to the summit’s Guanyin Square, there has been no power supply. Guanyin Square, the park’s core attraction where about a hundred staff serve nearly a thousand visitors daily, has operated without electricity regardless of extreme weather. To maintain basic services, the park has resorted to using self-funded generators for daytime power. Persistent power shortages and fragile infrastructure continue to hinder the park’s development.
Peak load shifting is a measure to ensure basic living needs. The hope is that power supply departments will avoid disrupting normal public leisure or hindering business development.
Regarding the various issues raised by Guanganyin Mountain National Forest Park, a spokesperson from the Dongguan Power Supply Bureau stated that the matter of power grid construction within the park has entered legal proceedings, with all outcomes subject to court rulings. Guanganyin Mountain Company confirmed that it did sue the power grid developers, citing ecological damage and safety risks. The case is currently under trial.
(5) On November 6, 2008, Guanganyin Mountain National Forest Park received a letter from Dongguan Xinyuan Expressway Development Co., Ltd., informing that the planned Qingxi Branch Line of the Conghua–Dongguan Expressway would pass through the park via a three-kilometer tunnel using blasting methods for excavation.
According to the design, the Guanyin Mountain Tunnel is a twin-bore, separated two-way six-lane tunnel with a designed speed of 100 km/h. The left tunnel is 3,245 meters long, and the right tunnel is 3,185 meters long.
The Guanganyin Mountain National Forest Park argued that such infrastructure would severely damage the park’s ecological environment and have immeasurable negative impacts on its status as a national AAAA-level tourist attraction. In 2011, the park expressed its concerns to the Guangdong Provincial Environmental Protection Department for various reasons.
According to a document submitted by the Guangdong Provincial Environmental Protection Department to the Environmental Inspection Bureau of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment: the project had been approved by the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Land and Resources, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Forestry, and other departments, with relatively complete approval procedures. Environmental enforcement officers inspected the site and found no exposed earth or vegetation destruction.
On December 13, 2011, enforcement officers from the Guangdong Provincial Environmental Protection Department investigated the construction site where the Conghua–Dongguan Expressway in Dongguan passes through Guanganyin Mountain Park. They then conducted an on-site inspection with the park’s management committee along the tunnel route. At that time, construction had begun at both the entrance and exit of the tunnel traversing the park. The tunnel entrance is located on land belonging to Jinhe Village in Zhangmutou Town, Dongguan, while the exit is on land in Zhangyang Village, also in Zhangmutou Town. No exposed earth or vegetation damage was found along the tunnel route through the park.
The head of the park’s management committee expressed concern that although the tunnel had not yet affected surface landscapes, there was worry that the construction might not adhere to the “full-tunnel” requirement, and that both the construction process and post-completion traffic could impact the scenic area and the mountaintop Guanyin statue. In response, enforcement officers from the Guangdong Provincial Environmental Protection Department provided a comprehensive explanation and encouraged the park’s management and surrounding residents to monitor the construction, reporting any issues to the relevant authorities for investigation.
From the Second West-East Gas Pipeline Guangzhou–Shenzhen Branch Project and the Guangdong Power Grid Dongguan Project to the Conghua–Dongguan Expressway, how much ecological impact will these three major projects have as they are constructed successively within Guanganyin Mountain National Forest Park?
Professor Hou Yuanzhao, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Forestry with over 40 years of experience in forestry, believes that currently, the installation or laying of these engineering lines has turned the forest park into a site accommodating industrial facilities, stripping it of its natural landscape attributes. It places forest resources at great risk, significantly devalues forest assets, and causes severe damage to the park’s overall forest ecosystem.
Hou Yuanzhao also noted that forest ecosystems are the most vital natural ecosystems among terrestrial systems. Compared to other land ecosystems, they boast the highest biodiversity, greatest biological productivity, and strongest ecological benefits—especially in maintaining natural ecological balance and improving human living environments, where they are a primary consideration. Once damaged, they can lead to species extinction, reduced biological productivity, localized pollution, and ultimately affect human survival and development in the region.
(6) In 2005, Guanganyin Mountain Forest Park was included in Dongguan’s government-guided pricing management. The park’s revenue mainly comes from ticket sales. Since 2005, the ticket price, approved by the local price bureau, has remained at 45 yuan. However, with increasing ecological conservation efforts, project upgrades, employee welfare improvements, and rising costs of goods, the park’s financial pressure has grown, seriously hindering its sustainable development.
In recent years, Guanganyin Mountain National Forest Park has petitioned Dongguan’s price and development planning authorities to cancel the government-guided ticket pricing and adopt market-regulated pricing, but all requests have been denied. On November 4, 2014, the Dongguan Development and Reform Bureau’s “Reply on Matters Related to Ticket Price Management of Guanganyin Mountain Forest Park” stated: the park is a national forest park built on collectively owned forest land. According to the “Tourism Law of the People’s Republic of China,” “Sightseeing Spot Ticket Management Measures,” and “National Forest Park Management Measures,” and with the approval of the municipal government, it was decided not to lift the guided pricing for Guanganyin Mountain, continuing the government-guided pricing management.
In response, Guanganyin Mountain argued that it does not fall under “scenic areas built using public resources.” The park is built on collectively owned land of Shixin Community in Zhangmutou Town, with Huang Ganbo as the contractor and operator, holding the usage and operational rights. Since late 1999, the park has been funded and developed independently without any financial support from government departments. Article 34 of China’s Tourism Law states, “Tickets for scenic spots built using public resources, as well as separately charged items such as attractions and transportation within the scenic area, shall be subject to government pricing or guided pricing, with strict control over price increases,” which should not apply to Guanganyin Mountain. Additionally, Article 46 states, “Urban and rural residents operating tourism businesses using their own residences or other conditions shall be managed according to regulations set by the provinces, autonomous regions, or municipalities,” meaning the park’s ticket prices are not subject to national legal adjustment.
Huang Ganbo stated that the national policy to reduce the scope of government pricing and promote transparent market-based pricing helps protect the legitimate rights of producers and consumers, encourages market competition through reasonable pricing signals, breaks monopolies, leverages social capital investment, and drives structural reforms for transformation and improved livelihoods. Guanganyin Mountain’s application to cancel government-guided pricing aligns with national policies encouraging private investment in tourism and market principles, as well as the local government’s call to ease burdens on enterprises and support healthy development.
(7) Public reports indicate that examining the development of domestic forest parks over the past decade reveals numerous cases of ecological damage across various locations. Behind these incidents lies, without exception, significant profit-driven motives.
As early as 2007, the State Forestry Administration approved the overall development plan for Guanyinshan National Forest Park, which allowed for the construction of tourism-related facilities within a 1,500-mu area surrounding the park’s exhibition center. If the land use could be changed and developed at a plot ratio of 1, the 1,500 mu of land could accommodate the development of 2 million square meters of commercial housing. If the land in Guanyinshan were used for real estate development, with an estimated profit of 5,000 yuan per square meter, the profits could reach as high as 10 billion yuan.
In 2006, the Zhangmutou Town Government issued a letter to Guanyinshan Company titled “Regarding Issues Concerning the Adjustment of the Operating Rights of Guanyinshan Forest Park,” aiming to take back the management of Guanyinshan by the town government and offer Huang Ganbo certain compensation. Huang Ganbo refused the acquisition. “I have invested nearly 300 million yuan in Guanyinshan. The government is only offering me tens of millions in compensation. How could I possibly agree?”
After several failed negotiations, on February 1, 2010, Shixin Community filed a lawsuit against Huang Ganbo and Guanyinshan Company at the Dongguan Third People’s Court, requesting the termination of their previously signed joint development contract and a court ruling for Huang Ganbo to return the operating rights of Guanyinshan. They argued that the “Joint Development Contract” signed in 1999 was not approved by a villagers’ meeting or by a majority of over two-thirds of the participants, thus violating the Land Law and the Organic Law of Village Committees, rendering the contract invalid.
Three months later, Huang Ganbo filed a counterclaim against Shixin Community at the Guangdong Provincial High People’s Court, alleging that during their cooperation, the Guanyinshan scenic area had been maliciously infringed upon by Shixin Community. He requested the court to order Shixin Community to cease the infringement, continue fulfilling the contract, and compensate for losses exceeding 300 million yuan.
After accepting Huang Ganbo’s counterclaim, the Guangdong Provincial High People’s Court officially registered the case on May 7, 2012. On May 28, the court consolidated the case filed by Shixin Community against Huang Ganbo at the Dongguan Third People’s Court for joint trial. With the consent of both parties, the two cases were combined, with Shixin Community as the plaintiff and Huang Ganbo and Guanyinshan Company as counterclaim plaintiffs.
On September 20 of the same year, Shixin Community applied to the Guangdong Provincial High People’s Court to amend its litigation request, changing from “terminating the contract between both parties” to requesting a court ruling that the “Joint Development Contract” signed between Shixin Community and Huang Ganbo was invalid. Whether the contract, which had been in effect for over 14 years, was valid became the focal point of the courtroom dispute.
During the trial, Shixin Community presented a document titled “Reflections on Huang Ganbo and Dongguan Guanyinshan Forest Development Co., Ltd. Infringing on Villagers’ Rights and Strongly Requesting the Recovery of the Management Rights of Dongguan Guanyinshan National Forest Park,” submitted by Shixin villagers to the Zhangmutou Town Government. This opinion paper was dated April 16, 2010, with multiple villagers signing to express their demands. In response, Huang Ganbo argued that the villagers’ opinion paper could not represent the views of the villagers in 1999, and that the national Organic Law of Village Committees at that time did not stipulate that the contracting of Guanyinshan required approval through a villagers’ meeting.
To prove that the Guanyinshan scenic area had suffered illegal infringement by the local community during the contract period, Huang Ganbo submitted a reply letter from Shixin Community in 2005, which mainly addressed the issue of illegal tree felling for fruit tree planting in the scenic area at that time. He also provided materials on the construction of villas in Guanyinshan, proving that Shixin Community had acquiesced to the illegal construction of villas on the mountain.
Another counterclaim by Huang Ganbo was for compensation amounting to 300 million yuan. The lawsuit stated that due to the illegal infringement by Shixin Community on the scenic area, it had led to the failure of a fossil donation cooperation, and the illegal construction of villas and deforestation had caused economic losses of 300.508 million yuan to Huang Ganbo and Guanyinshan Company.
In response, Shixin Community argued that the property rights of the forest park belonged to Shixin Neighborhood Committee, and that the villagers’ deforestation was a loss to Shixin Community, not to Huang Ganbo or Guanyinshan Company. The construction of villas by citizens was carried out in accordance with the law without any violations. Additionally, Shixin Community claimed that the fossil donation agreement had not been implemented, and therefore there was no actual loss.
The Guanyinshan dispute saw an initial outcome by the end of 2012. On February 7, 2013, it was reported that the Guangdong Provincial High People’s Court ruled in the first instance that the “Joint Development Contract” was valid and that both parties should continue to fulfill the contract. At the same time, the court dismissed Huang Ganbo’s other counterclaims, and the claim for over 300 million yuan in economic loss compensation was not upheld.
The Guangdong Provincial High People’s Court held that although Huang Ganbo failed to provide evidence proving that the contracting contract signed in 1999 had obtained approval from over two-thirds of the villagers through a villagers’ meeting, by the time Shixin Community claimed the contract was invalid on September 20, 2010, Huang Ganbo and Guanyinshan Company had managed Guanyinshan National Forest Park for over 10 years. Shixin Community had consistently collected contract fees according to the agreement, and it had not provided sufficient evidence that the contract severely harmed villagers’ interests.
The Guangdong Provincial High People’s Court stated that Huang Ganbo had registered Guanyinshan Forest Development Co., Ltd. with the Dongguan Administration for Industry and Commerce in 2002, with the registered business scope being investments in Guanyinshan; in 2005, Guanyinshan was approved by the State Forestry Administration to establish Guanyinshan National Forest Park. Both facts demonstrated that the operations of Guanyinshan Company in managing Guanyinshan National Forest Park were legal. However, the court also noted that Huang Ganbo failed to provide sufficient evidence that the illegal infringements on Guanyinshan were condoned by Shixin Community, nor could he prove that the community’s illegal acts had prevented investors from investing, resulting in losses for Huang Ganbo and Guanyinshan Company. Therefore, Huang Ganbo’s claim for 300 million yuan in compensation due to breach and illegality by Shixin Community lacked adequate basis, and the court did not support it.
After the first-instance verdict, both Shixin Community and Huang Ganbo appealed to the Supreme People’s Court. Regarding his appeal, Huang Ganbo told a reporter from Yangcheng Evening News that although the Guangdong Provincial High People’s Court recognized the validity of the contract, the fact remained that trees in Guanyinshan had been cut down for fruit planting and the area had suffered illegal infringements, leading to the failure of the fossil donation cooperation. The court did not thoroughly examine this part, and he was dissatisfied with the verdict. He hoped to obtain compensation for this part through the Supreme People’s Court’s review and also to stop the villa construction on Guanyinshan. Meanwhile, Cai Shusheng, the secretary of Shixin Community, insisted that the “Joint Development Contract” was invalid and hoped the Supreme Court would re-examine and verify the legality of the contract.
The judgment document from the Supreme People’s Court regarding this case stated that when Shixin Neighborhood Committee signed the “Joint Development Contract” with Huang Ganbo, it should have ensured that the contract was democratically deliberated internally. Its contractual obligation based on the principle of good faith was not altered by the change of neighborhood committee leadership.
Over the decade following the signing of the contract, Shixin Neighborhood Committee and Zhangmutou Town Government not only did not raise objections to the contract but repeatedly expressed affirmation and recognition of the fulfillment of the contract by Huang Ganbo and Guanyinshan Company. Now, Shixin Neighborhood Committee’s claim that the contract was invalid due to lack of democratic deliberation and failure to report to the township (or town) government for approval should not be supported. The contract represented the genuine intent of both parties, had been signed and performed for many years, and was thus legally recognized as valid by this court. Moreover, the court held that both parties should continue to perform the contract. Accordingly, the Supreme People’s Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the original judgment. This long-running dispute over the operating rights of Guanyinshan was concluded with Huang Ganbo’s victory.
(8) Over more than ten years of trials and tribulations, Guanyinshan National Forest Park has used culture as its engine, continuously innovating cultural tourism development methods, and has cultivated the spirit of culture, responsibility, and integrity. It has achieved a perfect integration of knowledge capital, financial capital, and natural resources. Today, a vibrant eco-cultural tourism destination is rising as the times demand.
Industry insiders point out that due to various influencing factors, Guangdong has long been regarded as the country’s largest “tourism departure point” rather than a “tourism destination.” The construction and breakthrough of Guangdong’s tourism brand still have a long way to go.
In response, Huang Ganbo said that for the tourism industry, brand building should focus on honest service and cultural innovation, while the quality of scenic spots is the lifeblood that sustains a brand. In reconstructing new advantages for Guangdong’s tourism industry and accelerating strategic transformation and upgrading, Guanyinshan will keep pace with the times, forge ahead with innovation, and strive to promote the South China eco-cultural tourism brand.
According to surveys and evaluations by professional institutions, the Guangdong Guanyinshan tourism brand has taken root in people’s hearts, receiving widespread praise and recognition. Guanyinshan has become a nationally renowned eco-cultural tourism destination favored by tourists.
In the eyes of writers and poets, every plant, every clear spring, and every peak here is a scripture of kindness, resonating with the subtle mysteries of morning bells and evening drums, bringing enlightenment and epiphany to the world.
In the view of cultural scholars, Guanyinshan not only interprets a beautiful mythological legend but also continuously inherits the long-standing religious culture of Lingnan. Like ancient relics, it washes away the noise and dust of the outside world, making its intrinsic value all the more precious.
In the hearts of tourists, Guanyinshan National Forest Park is the top choice for eco-cultural tourism. Here, mountains, water, Buddhism, Taoism, and rare flowers create a rich tapestry, with cultural and natural landscapes complementing each other. What is particularly commendable is that the hosting of various cultural activities has created a unique tourism charm.
In the future blueprint of Guanyinshan National Forest Park, culture and health will become the brand’s directional focus. Guanyinshan National Forest Park will summarize experiences, innovate, and continuously cultivate new growth poles in cultural tourism economy. With the goal of promoting a happy Guangdong through joyful tourism, it strives to make new contributions to enhancing Dongguan’s cultural tourism image and prospering its cultural tourism industry.
Huang Ganbo said that Guanyinshan has become one with his life. Despite numerous challenges, he remains full of confidence about the road ahead. As a typical representative of Dongguan’s private economy, according to the development plan, he is determined to build Guanyinshan into China’s fifth major Buddhist mountain, following Shanxi’s Wutai Mountain, Zhejiang’s Putuo Mountain, Sichuan’s Emei Mountain, and Anhui’s Jiuhua Mountain.
In this season, Guanyinshan is picturesque, bustling with visitors, and filled with the resounding songs of cultural performances, forming a beautiful and blissful scene. Huang Ganbo has poured his wholehearted passion and love into it.
All of this is worthy of deep reflection by people, especially local decision-makers: How should we treat a vibrant Guanyinshan that dares to dream, is dedicated to giving, and brims with vitality?